


Of Lizards And Men

by BlookyBot, quiiiznak



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Co-Written, Desert, Gen, M/M, Mind Meld, One Shot, lowkey klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 21:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8594173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlookyBot/pseuds/BlookyBot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiiiznak/pseuds/quiiiznak
Summary: Keith finds a lizard and other stuff happens.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Oh wow this is one of the first fics I've written in a long time. But I didn't do it alone! Please go check out Kurosaakii. They're new here but give them some love! We also have tumblr accounts! Check those out too. <3  
> [ [Mine] ](http://blooky-bot.tumblr.com/)[ [Kurosaakii's]](https://kurosaakiii.tumblr.com/)

He’s getting ready for another day of searching for that energy source when he sees it. This lizard just sitting near the rocking chair on his porch - now, Keith lives out in the desert, he’s not unused to the animals that he sometimes comes across. It’s not unusual for there to be things crawling underfoot - the only thing that’s unusual with this little guy is that it isn’t moving; isn’t running away from him. It’s a pretty good size for a lizard, with this oddly bright, blue tail - just staring back at him, watching his movements with its beady little eyes. 

 

Bike all ready for the day, Keith waves his hands towards it, “move! Come on, shoo!” All he gets in return is a blank stare - it doesn’t even flinch. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. I don’t have time for this.”

 

Hoping that it will just move once he starts his bike, Keith goes over to rev the engine and it bolts. 

 

“Good riddance.” 

 

* * *

 

It’s the end of another unsuccessful day of driving through the desert hoping to find something, and Keith is just exhausted - absolutely wiped out. 

 

He’s almost happy to finally see his shack looming in the distance. Sighing, as he pulls up and dismounts, he turns off his bike. He’s too tired to even notice that that same lizard from earlier is watching him again from underneath his rocking chair. As soon as he notices the bright blue tail in his peripheral vision he practically leaps into the air. 

“You’re still here?!” He puts his hands on his hips and leans down to give it a thorough inspection. Keith hadn’t seen anything like it in the desert so far. That neon-blue tail would _not_ help it to camouflage itself in the dullness of the desert’s sand. And of course, it keeps looking at him. After a few moments its tongue flicks out and runs over it’s eye. “Charming…” He deadpans. It was as if this lizard was mocking him.

 

He stood, getting the kinks out of his back as he went. 

 

“Whatever, I’m too tired for this.”

 

* * *

 

Keith wakes up early the next morning to that same goddamn lizard sitting on the table in front of him, “WHAT THE FU- how did you even get in here?!” The lizard responded with another lick to the eye. “Riiight…” There was a brief moment of complete silence, something Keith was used to, before he spoke again.

 

“Well, I guess since you’re in here already you might as well just stay… Oh God, I must be going crazy out here, talking to this thing,” Keith groaned. In a way he was somewhat grateful for having some company in this desolate place. At least he had an excuse to talk and break the constant silence.

 

* * *

 

His day-to-day routine doesn’t really change. 

 

He keeps getting up at dawn; keeps going out to search for that elusive energy source - but, this lizard has latched itself onto him like some common dog. It watches him from the top of his corkboard; and occasionally it will perch itself on Keith’s shoulder. It’s nice, in a way, that he isn’t completely by himself anymore - nice to just be around another living creature, even if that creature was just a stubborn blue-tailed lizard. 

 

It doesn’t stay inside all day, but then, neither does Keith. It’ll show up every morning as he’s getting ready to go out into the desert and every morning before he leaves Keith gently taps it on the head and says, “stay outta trouble, alright? Wait right there buddy, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

 

* * *

 

One day he wakes up to find a chunk of the tail settled on the table in the middle of the room.

 

He freaks out a little. Did the lizard already die? Was it his fault? Frantically, he jerks out of bed, twisting his head around to look for the remnants of this poor lizard. He goes outside to see the lizard sitting on the back of that old rocking chair.

 

He holds up the tail, as if expecting an answer, “seriously dude?! You couldn’t have done this outside?” 

 

It gives him a blank stare as if it were saying, _what do you expect me to do about it?_

 

* * *

 

The following night is when everything goes to shit: Shiro’s back. Alive.

 

Not only is Shiro back, but he’s also managed to wind up with three ‘strays’ in the form of Hunk, Pidge, and Lance. 

 

And one mechanical lion.

 

* * *

 

It’s a few days later, aboard the castle-ship as they are all together trying to ‘mind-meld’ or whatever it was that Coran called it; that he remembers. 

 

“Oh!” Keith gasps. 

 

With all of the adrenaline of the past few days, he’s completely forgotten about his ‘little buddy.’

 

He feels horrible. There was a living, breathing creature that - while it might not have relied on him - it had spent a good chunk of it’s time with him. He felt like he had a responsibility to this reptile, and he let himself get wrapped up in everything going on - and just. He forgot about it.

 

* * *

 

When they eventually make it back to earth - Zarkon defeated, remaining Galra forces scattered,  
Pidge’s family finally reunited - it’s years later and the shack is in shambles. It hurts, in a way that Keith wasn’t expecting it to - this was his home. When he steps onto the porch, he looks down and there's this tiny little skeleton just sitting under the rocking chair out. It hurts again. On this entire planet, there was nothing waiting for him to return - no one to miss him. Except this little lizard.

 

He even promised it he’d be back but now he’s too late. The lizard’s been long gone now. 

 

“What've you got there?” Keith turns, having forgotten about Lance for a second.

 

“Nothing - just something I found by the fr-what's left of the front door.” 

 

It's stupid, he tells himself. That after all that he's been through - all that they've been through - for him to be getting nostalgic over something like this it's - Keith is broken out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. 

 

“Huh...” As he turns to face Lance, there’s this lost look in his eyes.

 

“What’s gotten into you? We’ve saved the universe! Everything’s good now!” The grip of Lance’s hand on Keith’s shoulder tightens. It’s strange after everything that’s happened - still not used to Lance being genuinely worried for him.

 

“It’s nothing.” Keith grit his teeth. His words sound forced - he was never good at lying. Sighing, he stands up and turns away from the remains of his home. 

 

“I guess I just-this was the only thing waiting for me here. This shack, this little lizard-it’s dumb, I know.” Keith’s voice cracks as he speaks and Lance just gives him this sad look. 

 

Out of all the paladins, Lance was the one who had changed the most. He had matured and gotten over this stupid bickering between them. He could remember the disjointed and messy confession he had overheard in his room after a particularly harsh battle that had almost left Keith dead…

 

* * *

 

“Keith! What the fuck were you thinking!?” Lance screamed over the comms. Keith was having a hard time staying conscious so Lance had had to help Red all the way back to the ship. 

 

“Lance! Language.” Shiro’s voice followed. 

 

“Sorry _dad_.”

 

Keith’s only response was a groan. It hurt too much to speak. 

 

It had been another fight against the Galra; another failed rescue mission in an attempt to find Pidge’s family. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been there…Due to that, Keith had gotten a little _too_ enthusiastic and had received a gash across his stomach, tearing right through the thin fabric of his flight suit. He had torn off a piece of cloth from a fallen Galra soldier and tied it around his waist in a fit of desperation. But by the time he had gotten back into his lion Keith had bled right through it and now his head felt heavy. 

 

When they got back to the castle, Keith was immediately rushed off to one of the healing pods. The hiss that was made when the door slid shut seemed satisfying to him as he lost consciousness. It was so clean and cold in the healing pod and Keith found it refreshing.

 

According to Coran it would take approximately 3 earth days to fully heal...

 

* * *

 

After that time had passed Keith was taken out of the healing pod and Shiro was helping him to his room under strict orders to rest.

 

In the hallway adjacent to Keith’s room, is where they ran into Lance. 

 

“Keith I-” Lance started.

 

“Lance, please. I really need some proper sleep.” Absentmindedly, Keith’s fingers ran across his stomach along where the scar should be. It felt strange, no proof that he had even been injured, but he couldn’t stop touching it. It was a reminder that he needed to be more careful - a reminder that he was so, incredibly human, that he was fragile. Shiro pulled Lance aside as he let Keith into his room.

 

Kicking his helmet aside, he got changed into a fresh set of clothes and laid down with a sigh. He couldn’t remember the last time he desperately wanted to sleep. Keith’s eyes finally began to droop but when he heard Lance’s muffled voice through the door they immediately shot open. 

 

“HE COULD’VE DIED PULLING A STUNT LIKE THAT! Shiro, I can’t- I can’t do this anymore I-”

 

“Lance. Stop! You have to calm down, he’s - he’s going to be alright, okay? He’s going to be fine, just - you have to tell him how you feel, you can’t keep doing this to yourself - it’s not good for either of you.”

 

“I know, but...what if he doesn’t feel the same way..?”

 

That was the last thing that Keith had heard before falling asleep.

 

* * *

 

When Keith woke up, Lance was sitting outside of his room, arms crossed and head leaning forward. He was snoring softly, and had clearly been there all night. Keith furrowed his brow, crouching down beside Lance with a hand on his shoulder. Gently shaking him, Keith tried to wake him up.

“Hey, dude…Wake up. Why are you out here?” Keith was aware he was asking too many questions and Lance wasn’t even awake. After a few ticks, Lance’s eyes blinked open and he groggily turned his head towards Keith with a questioning look.

 

“Keith? Wha-... Oh. OH! KEITH!” It was strange watching someone transition from asleep to fully awake in such a short amount of time - without coffee nevertheless. Lance stood up and grabbed Keith’s wrist. “Keith, I really need to tell you something.” Is all Lance said before dragging Keith back into his room. Keith had a feeling he knew what this was going to be about from what he had overheard Lance say to Shiro last night. Lance pushed him back down to sit on his bed. An expectant look was sent Lance’s way.

 

“Yes..?” Keith cocked his head to one side.

“Listen… After what happened a few days ago. I really thought you were going to die.” He whispered the last part, looking down at the floor. “And I realised, what if I never told you how I feel?”

 

“Well..? What are your feelings, Lance?” Keith’s voice was unusually gentle. As much as he couldn’t stand Lance’s presence sometimes, he knew he’d have to be patient this time.

 

The good thing about Keith having overheard that conversation between Lance and Shiro the previous night was that it had given him some time to collect himself, and to sort through his own feelings towards Lance. 

 

“I like you Keith. I really like you. And I really…I really think that it could be something. There’s so much about you that I like that I shouldn’t! I mean - I like your stupid mullet, and your fingerless gloves, no matter how useless they seem! And quiznak! I like your stupid face too.” Lance was frustrated, and running out of steam. _How come with girls he was so charming but with Keith he just couldn’t say the right things?_ “I mean - I understand if you don’t feel the same wa-”

 

“Lance.” There was a pause.

 

Having lost his nerve, Lance was just standing there, scuffing the tip of his shoe against the floor.

 

Rubbing the back of his head Keith started, “look. I know that we haven’t always gotten along -”

 

“Pffft...”

 

“Lance, let me finish.”

 

He just gave Keith a sheepish smile, as if to say ‘go ahead.’

 

“As I was _saying_ , I know that we don’t always get along but, I mean, maybe we could? Try this out?”

 

Lance’s head shot up, “Really?!”

 

At a loss for words Keith mumbled, “ugh. I’m not good with stuff like this… Yes, really. Now c’mere,” patting the spot next to him on the bed. Not knowing what to expect, Lance slowly walked over to Keith. As soon as Lance was close enough - and before Keith lost his nerve - he grabbed Lance. 

 

“Keith-!”

 

Their lips connected. It wasn’t anything special and only lasted a tick. It was short and innocent- they both sat there, faces blazing.

 

“Umm...”

 

“That was-...”

 

They both started at the same time. Chuckling, they looked at each other. 

 

“Does this mean - ?” Lance had this hopeful look in his eyes.

 

Smiling at him, “Yes, Lance. I like your stupid face too.”

 

* * *

 

He's glad that they've matured - gotten past the rivalry bullshit that Lance had insisted on when they first met all those years ago, glad that they’ve been able to talk things through.

 

Lance gently takes hold of Keith’s hand as they're getting ready to head back to the rest of the team. He smiles. It's nice, whatever this is with Lance. He's not used to being this happy for this long, but he's optimistic - optimistic for what it is and for what it could become.

 

He reaches down to grab the discarded skull - not sure why, but feeling the need to keep it. A memento of sorts. He goes to stand up and that’s when he catches it out of the corner of his eye as he's leaving - a tiny nest filled with eggs, and he smiles. It’s not so much as what he had here as it is the memories. And you know what? He has time now to make new ones - with his new family, and with Lance.

 

He might’ve only ‘had’ that lizard for a few weeks but, it helped. It helped him in ways that he never could’ve imagined, and he’s grateful for that but - he has Lance now, and he has the rest of his team as well. 

 

He’ll be okay - they all will.


End file.
